Issue 06 | May-July 2016 Chief Justice Katureebe’s key milestones 130 judicial appointments, promotions since 2015 INSIDE Commercial Justice 3,000 cases cleared Litigants recover billions Reports launched through Plea Bargaining as SCP reaches 26 courts President Yoweri Museveni (L) receives the Coat of Arms from Chief Justice, Bart M. Katureebe, after swearing-in as the 12th President of the Republic of Uganda on May 12, 2016. INSIDE... Count your blessings name 2 | Chief Justice Katureebe’s key achievements them one by one 4 | 3,000 cases cleared through Plea Bargaining 6 | The Judicature (Plea Bargain) Rules, 2016 any choose to capitalise on what they do not have in- 8 |CJ explains presidential election petition, Dr. Besigye treason case stead of identifying and celebrating what they have. 10 | 80% of election petitions concluded We, at the Judiciary, love to celebrate our milestones with oomph. We look at achievements as stepping 11 | Meet the new judicial officers Mstones for bigger things. 12 | Commercial Justice Reports launched For the first time, the Judiciary launched two Commercial Justice 13 | Chief Inspector of Courts embarks on countrywide tour Reports to highlight how both the Commercial Division of the High Court and the Small Claims Procedure have been a dream-come-true 14 | Pictorial: Judiciary through the lens for the Ugandan business community. 16 | Judges okay adoption of appellate mediation For Small Claims Procedure (SCP) – now operational in 26 of the 38 17 | Courts to get children’s testimonies by audio video link Magisterial Areas across the country in just three years after its launch 18 | Litigants recover billions as SCP reaches 26 courts – is a success story for both the Judiciary the court users. We are, on one hand, been getting reports that the courts are receiving more new 19 | Judiciary’s Kwizera joins PPDA Tribunal SCP cases than the ordinary civil suits. This could be largely so because 20 | Pepperdine externs speak out on Ugandan experience the procedure is simple, affordable, and has so far helped court users recover billions of shillings in a short time. 23 | Judiciary unveils its five-year ICT strategy On the criminal side, Plea Bargaining, another alternative dispute 24 | Uganda Judicial Officers as at July 2016 resolution initiative, has helped the Ugandan courts clear more than 3,000 cases in the last two years, using only about 30 per cent of the EDITORIAL TEAM cost of an ordinary trial. With the heightened sensitisation of court users, remand prisoners and training of judicial officers in applying this initiative, the courts are targeting to complete another 3,000, at least Solomon Muyita Editor by June 2017. Sheila Wamboga Editorial Coordination Peter Mugeni Design & Layout It would have ordinarily taken the courts not less than six years to Deo Akugizibwe Photography complete this magnitude of cases and as such we celebrate this quick access to justice system that will go a long way in decongesting the Editorial Board prisons as well as promoting reconciliation among parties. Lady Justice Lydia Mugambe-Ssali Judge, High Court (Chair) Paul Gadenya Chief Registrar (Member) The good tidings can also be felt within the Judiciary administration Dorcas W. Okalany Secretary to the Judiciary (Member) after getting more than 60 new judicial officers in the last six months. Eliasa Omar Kisawuzi Registrar Research & Training (Member) Solomon Muyita Senior Comms Officer(Secretary) These are but just some of the success stories that highlight the Jane Mugala, Elizabeth Akullo Law Reporting Officers (Members) achievements of the new Chief Justice Hon. Bart Magunda Katureebe, and you can flip through the pages for details on his achievements and everything else that has been making the news in the Judiciary. Publisher Jofra House Plot 23 Mumia Road The Editorial Board is committed to bringing you a richer and better Bugolobi Kataza Close P.O.Box 11164, Kampala Uganda issue of this magazine every three months. Tel: +256 393 800675 [email protected] Nice reading of our Judiciary Insider Issue 6. PETTY CASH VOUCHER No: The Judiciary Insider is a product of the Quantity Description Amount Solomon Muyita, Judiciary Editorial Board. Editor/Senior Communications Officer, Judiciary Email: [email protected] THE JUDICIARY INSIDER | May - July, 2016 1 Amount Authorised by ................................................................. Received by ..................................................................... Jofra House Plot 23 Mumia Road Bugolobi Kataza Close P.O.Box 11164, Kampala Uganda Tel: +256 393 800675 [email protected] PETTY CASH VOUCHER No: Quantity Description Amount Amount Authorised by ................................................................. Received by ..................................................................... CHIEF justice'S KEY achievements Chief Justice Katureebe’s key achievements Since his assumption of Judiciary’s highest office, the Hon. Chief Justice, Bart M. Katureebe, has made a number of promises towards the transformation of the Judiciary into a more vibrant institution. About 18 months down the road, Justice Katureebe has registered a number of tremendous achievements. The Judiciary Insider shares some of his key milestones. Magisterial areas: The rationalisation of magisterial areas was successfully completed last year by a special taskforce of various Justice, Law and Order stakeholders who were coordinated by the Hon. Principal Judge, Dr Yorokamu Bamwine. The Hon. Chief Justice has since sent the proposal to have magisterial areas increased from 38 to 81 to the Minister of Justice, and the minister is expected to sign the instrument soon. 130 Judicial appointments/ promotions: It was one of his key promises to engage other arms of the state to get more judicial officers L-R The Chief Justice, H.E Mogens Pendersen, the Danish Ambassador to Uganda, Dr. appointed or promoted so that the Eng. Christopher Ebal, Judiciary’s estate manager share a light moment shortly after the commissioning of the DANIDA building. courts can dispense justice to the people. Indeed, the good engagement efforts of the Hon. Chief Justice have ■ Seven High Court Judges: President Creation of Utilities and Standards resulted into appointments/promotions Museveni appointed seven new High Court: The specialised court located at of at least 130 judicial officers, right from Court judges in February 2016. the Kampala Chief Magistrates Court at Magistrate G1 to justices of the Supreme Buganda Road was created to deal with Court as follows: Taking evidence by audio-visual means: cases related to wildlife (fauna and flora), ■ 12 appellate Justices appointed: Guidelines in this regard were developed water and electricity. President Museveni in September 2015, and signed off by the Hon. Chief Justice. appointed 12 justices (five to Supreme Support was also secured from UNICEF for Plea Bargaining: The procedure that Court and six justices to the Court of the installation of closed circuit cameras gives criminal offenders, who want Appeal). that are connected to TV monitors at the to plead guilty, a chance to bargain ■ 53 Judicial officers promoted: In High Court in Kampala, Fort Portal and for lighter sentences for not wasting December 2015, the Judicial Service Gulu to support the giving of evidence resources and court’s time, gained Commission (JSC) appointed/promoted by sensitive witnesses through video momentum in 2015 and 2016, and 53 judicial officers (21 deputy registrars, link. Similar equipment is installed in a has so far helped the disposal of 3,000 six assistant registrars, 24 chief child-friendly room at each of the courts capital offenses in the various courts. magistrates and another seven principal to make them as comfortable as possible The procedure was rolled out to all and senior magistrates). while giving evidence to a judge without the 13 High Court Circuits and all the ■ 57 Magistrates G1 appointed: JSC having to face their molesters. Similar major prisons in Uganda. It has also named 57 new Magistrates G1, and installations will be made in the High Court helped save Judiciary’s criminal case promotes one Magistrate G1 to chief Circuits of Mbale, Mbarara, Arua, Masindi, trial budget by at least 70 per cent. Plea magistrate in January 2016. and the new Family Court in Makindye. Bargaining Rules were also developed 2 THE JUDICIARY INSIDER | May - July, 2016 CHIEF justice'S KEY achievements and gazetted, and will be rolled out a way of increasing their monitoring More High Court Circuits created: In countrywide by the Hon. Principal and curbing corruption tendencies continuous efforts to promote access Judge, Yorokamu Bamwine. in courts. The project has since been in the administration of justice accomplished with support from by bringing services closer to the MoU with Pepperdine University: In DANIDA at a cost of Shs128 million. people, Hon. Katureebe in July 2016 October 2015, the Hon. Chief Justice, The CCTV cameras have since been issued the Judicature (Designation Bart M. Katureebe, led a delegation to installed in registries of the Kampala- of High Court Circuits) Instrument Pepperdine University in Califonia, USA, based High Court Divisions of: Criminal, reorganising the Circuits of the High to revise the 2008 MoU between the Anti-Corruption, Execution and Bailiffs, Court from 13 to 20. The instrument Judiciary and the Pepperdine. The revised Land, Family, Civil and Commercial. closed the Nakawa Circuit, but MoU, whose objective